Group letter project

To Polycarp. Translated by Cyril Richardson Along with the letter to the church of Smyrna, Ignatius wrote to its bishop, Polycarp.

One of the most distinguished figures of the Early Church, who crowned his old age with martyrdom, Polycarp had given Ignatius a generous welcome which the latter mentions in other letters (Eph., ch. 21; Mag., ch. 15). This is an intimate and personal letter — the shortest of them all. Polycarp was the younger of the two men, perhaps in his early forties, and Ignatius is characteristically forthright in his advice. That the latter was most highly regarded by the bishop of Smyrna is clear from his own letter to the Philippians and from his making a collection of Ignatius’ correspondence (Polycarp, Phil., ch. 13).The sense of Christian solidarity which bound together the local churches is evident from the various delegations which Ignatius received in Smyrna. 2 It is no credit to you if you are fond of good pupils. 4 Widows must not be neglected.

The name Polycarp sounds funny to our English ears, but in Greek it comes from two words “poly” meaning many or much, and “carp” meaning fruit. Obviously his Christian parents named him Polycarp along with a prayer that he would bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God — which he did. To learn the whole story of St. Polycarp, on location, watch our new DVD “Apostolic Fathers: Handing on the Faith” along with a 28-page Study Guide. Download a Free Copy of theApostolic Fathers Timeline This amazing Timeline drives home the point of how close these men were to Jesus and the Apostles.

The Apostolic Fathers faced Emperors, heretics and lions but these heroes of the Catholic faith never lost courage. Strap on your sandals and step back in time to discover the “Apostolic Fathers, Handing on the Faith” Learn more here; Buy it NOW here “When I was a boy . . .
The Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians. Polycarp of Smyrna: The Second Century Heretic Fighter. By COGwriter Who was Polycarp of Smyrna?

Why should you know about him? If this faithful Christian leader were alive today, would he support the any of the Protestant, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox churches or instead be part of a group like the Continuing Church of God? This article will try to help answer those questions and more. In addition to using the commonly known ancient sources, this article also including information found in the discovery of the Harris Fragments, which many who have heard of Polycarp are unfamiliar with. Here is a link to a YouTube video sermon you can watch about him titled Polycarp of Smyrna: Why Christians should know more about him. Background on Polycarp Based upon information related to when he apparently died and certain ancient records, it appears that Polycarp was born around 52 A.D. Irenaeus of Lyon c. 170 wrote: Papias was a Church of God who lived in the late first century until apparently the early second century A.D. From Irenaeus and Tertullian.